This invention relates to a vehicle-mounted equipment carrier, and more particularly to a vehicle-mounted carrier for a personal transporter.
Vehicle-mounted carriers for items of equipment such as bicycles, skis and the like are well known. Such carriers are typically engaged with either the roof, tailgate or trunk area of a vehicle, or with a hitch receiver mounted to the vehicle. The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle-mounted carrier for an item of equipment known as a personal transporter, which includes a platform for supporting a user in a standing position, a pair of wheels located one on either side of the platform, and a stem that extends upwardly from the platform. The stem includes a pair of outwardly extending handles that are grasped by the user in operation, to maintain the user in a standing position and also to control movement of the personal transporter. Personal transporters of this type are commercially available from Segway LLC of Manchester, N.H. under the designation Segway™.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle-mounted carrier for a personal transporter includes a base adapted to be secured to the vehicle, in combination with a transporter support movably secured to the base for movement between a lowered, loading position and a raised, transport position. The transporter support includes an upper stem engagement section and a lower transporter support section. When the transporter support is in the loading position, the stem of the personal transporter is engageable with the stem engagement section of the transporter support, and the platform of the personal transporter is engageable with the platform support section of the transporter support, while the wheels of the personal transporter remain in contact with a supporting surface such as the ground. Subsequent to engagement of the stem with the stem engagement section and the platform with the platform support section, the transporter support is moved relative to the base from the loading position to the transport position, and is releasably maintained in the transport position so as to maintain the wheels of the personal transporter above the supporting surface.
In one embodiment, the base of the carrier includes a mounting member for mounting to the hitch receiver of the vehicle, and an upright member that extends upwardly from the mounting member. The transporter support is pivotably mounted to the upright member for movement between the loading position and the transport position, and is releasably engaged with the upright member for maintaining the transporter support in the loading position. The transporter support is subjected to a gravity bias that tends to move the transporter support from the transport position toward the loading position. In a preferred embodiment, the transporter support moves to the loading position from the transport position to the loading position when the transporter support is disengaged from the upright member, and is retained in the loading position by a resilient retainer interposed between the upright member and the transporter support.
The upright member of the base is preferably secured to the hitch mounting member via an adjustment arrangement, which is operable to adjust the vertical position of the upright member relative to the hitch mounting member. The adjustment arrangement thus functions to adjust the elevation of the transporter support relative to the vehicle, to enable loading of the personal transporter onto the transporter support while maintaining the wheels of the personal transporter on the ground, and to position the wheels of the personal transporter at a desired elevation when the transporter support is in the transport position.
In accordance with the invention, the transporter support is first placed in the loading position, and the personal transporter is advanced toward the transporter support so that the stem of the personal transporter is located adjacent the upper stem engagement section of the transporter support and the platform of the personal transporter is located over the lower platform support section of the transporter support. The stem is then engaged with the stem engagement section of the transporter support, and the platform is engaged with the platform support section of the transporter support. In one embodiment, the transporter support includes an upper strap arrangement that is operable to engage the stem with the stem engagement section of the transporter support, and a lower strap arrangement that is operable to secure the platform to the platform support section of the transporter support. The transporter support is then moved to the transport position, by applying a forward force to the upper end of the stem of the personal transporter. Such movement of the transporter support to the transport position functions to position the stem of the personal transporter in an upright position, and to elevate the wheels of the personal transporter above the ground. The transporter support is then engaged with the base to retain the transporter support in the transport position. In one embodiment, the transporter support is engaged with the base via a retainer member, such as a retainer pin, that is selectively engaged within aligned openings in the transporter support and in the upright member.
The invention also contemplates a method of securing a personal transporter to a carrier that is mounted to a vehicle, substantially in accordance with the foregoing summary.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.